Zach Lowe Predicts Short-Term Deal for Nets RFA Cam Thomas

It's been an eventful day to be a Brooklyn Nets fan or Zach Lowe follower—especially if you're both.

Low, the NBA insider, revealed on Wednesday that the consensus around Cam Thomas' restricted free agency is that he's an "empty calories ball hog," which garnered a response from the man himself.

"The consensus? F--k you and the consensus. This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball," Thomas posted to X, quoting a post including Lowe's quote. "Why are we double teaming a guy who's 'not that good' make it make sense please."

Whether it's related to the response or not, Lowe offered his projection for what Thomas' contract may look like. He anticipates a two-year, $24 million deal for the 23-year-old, and the majority of NBA fans agree with him.

NetsDaily joined in on the discourse, posting a graphic of a poll ran by SB Nation which asked fans what a "fair" value for Thomas was.

46% of the vote believed Thomas is worth between $10-$19 million annually. 40% valued him higher, at between $20-$29 million annually. 9% thought Brooklyn shouldn't even re-sign him, while 5% is under the impression that Thomas is worth over $30 million per year.

While basketball fans don't get to directly impact a player's contract negotiations, the results do back up the claim that Thomas is a "polarizing" player.

Everyone seems to view him differently, regardless of the stats or achievements he's accumulated throughout his brief professional career.

Many are quick to pinpoint the blame on Thomas himself for the lack of traction—but he's not the only restricted free agent experiencing this sort of thing. Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes are all in the same boat, each of whom is a high-impact guy, just like Thomas is.

So, is it that Thomas "isn't worth the price of admission," or are the majority of NBA franchises just unable to pay him?

Remember, Brooklyn is the only team with real cap flexibility, which gives it an added layer of leverage over Thomas.

Maybe more teams would be willing to offer him a higher number if they could, but unfortunately for Thomas, the current state of the NBA prevents that.